Peru faces its fourth government reshuffle in six months

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Peru reinforces its attempts to get out of the political crisis in which it has been immersed in recent months. Since the leftist Pedro Castillo assumed the country’s presidency last July 28, the government has faced up to four reshuffles in these previous six months, characterized by its stumbles, internal struggles, and attacks from the radical right.

“As I have always announced in my speeches, the cabinet is constantly evaluated. For this reason, I have decided to renew it and form a new team,” said the Latin American leader last week when announcing the Executive’s dismissal as a bloc once again.

With the “firm commitment to provide solutions to Peru’s major problems”, Castillo assured this Wednesday that he would soon announce his new ministerial cabinet, which he has been working on for four days, and which will be “more participative and broad-based to promote a greater benefit for all Peruvians”.

“My commitment continues to be with the people”, asserted the leftist leader and pointed out that he will consider the “openness towards the political, academic and professional forces” of the country.

The last drop in a full glass of criticism to Castillo for the political crisis in which Peru finds itself since he came to power comes after several institutions, organizations, private associations, media, and even members of the Executive called for the departure of Hector Valer, who took office precisely a week ago – replacing former Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez – but the controversy did not take long to arrive due to the accumulation of allegations of domestic violence that weighs on his shoulders. On Saturday, he resigned.

The drift of the Peruvian government has prompted the opposition to announce that it will present a motion of censure against the president, the umpteenth for Castillo. The leftist leader, in turn, denounced that power groups are promoting a “media campaign” to remove him from office, which exposes “anti-democratic attitudes of some sectors that only seek to destabilize the country and put governability at risk”.

CAMPAIGN OF DELEGITIMIZATION

In addition, the president denied the versions of some former ministers, such as Vásquez or the former Minister of the Interior, Avelino Guillén, who pointed out the existence of a sort of “shadow cabinet” formed by his closest advisors. “I categorically reject certain theories about the interference of my trusted team in the decision-making process. In all their extremes, their assertions are false,” he said.

Hours before Castillo’s statement, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denounced a campaign of “conservatism” to delegitimize the leftist governments of Castillo in Peru and Xiomara Castro in Honduras. “We are respectful of the decisions being made in other countries, but it is evident that conservatism is working against the legal, legitimately constituted government” of Castillo, said the leftist president in his morning press conference.